Dwindling Fire
by MileyHannahFan
Summary: Tony DiNozzo is in love until his parents send him to boarding school. He then gets transfered and meets the love of his life again. What follows is Tony's emotional journey through life compelete with death and true love.
1. A Night With The Living Dead

Through the window the young boy could see a girl getting undressed. She had white skin and long dark brown hair. She turned towards the window as if she could sense the boy's eyes on her, he ducked and hid under her windowsill. He waited for a few moments before glancing through the window again. The girl had unbuttoned her shirt and the boy could see her lacy black bra.

The boy watched for another thirty minutes, until the girl got into bed. Quietly, he got up and walked back to his house, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he went. He would try to come tomorrow night as well. He couldn't think of a better way to use his time but apparently his father could. When he got home his Mother and Father stopped him in the hallway. An hour later the boy was in a taxi on the way to a private all-boys boarding school. He wondered what he had done to deserve it, and whether he would ever see the girl again. '_I guess not.'_ He answered himself. The taxi stopped, and holding back tears Anthony DiNozzo grabbed his bags and stepped out, looking around at the boarding school that had just become his home.

***

"Mr. DiNozzo would you please pay attention?" Tony's head snapped up from the picture he was drawing to look at his biology teacher Mrs. Nash. She was frowning at him along with the rest of his class.

"Sorry Mrs. Nash." He said.

"Bring me the paper you were drawing on." Reluctantly, Tony grabbed the piece of paper and took it up to his teacher. When she saw the vulgar picture of her, Tony could have sworn he saw steam come from her ears. Calmly, Mrs. Nash ripped up the paper and tossed it into the recycling bin.

"Detention Mr. DiNozzo. Back to your seat now." Tony bowed to his teacher and then walked back to his seat. He tried to pay attention to his class, but he couldn't. After class he ducked into the bathroom and studied himself in the mirror. Ever since he had gotten to the boarding school he had been feeling emotional, not something a normal fifteen year old boy would be feeling.

Tony had brown hair that stuck up many different ways and was wearing the standard uniform for the boys at the boarding school. Navy blue pants, blue shoes, a white long-sleeved shirt, blue vest, navy blue tie and blue blazer. He had been at the school for two years and still didn't have any friends. This was unusual for Tony, but nothing in his life had been easy or normal since he started watching the girl five years ago.

Tony knew that watching a girl every day for three years was stalker traits, but he couldn't help himself. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever set his eyes on and he hadn't seen her for two years. All he wanted to do was to see her again, he would have given anything to have it happen.

The rest of the day was like a blur to Tony. He finished all of his classes and then headed off to his detention with Mrs. Nash. Although the detention was boring, the time passed quickly and Tony headed off to dinner. He collected his tray and stood, trying to find somewhere to sit. Looking around he noticed an empty table. Moving quickly, he walked over to it and sat down.

'_My friends back home would laugh themselves silly if they saw that I was sitting alone.'_ Tony thought to himself. Luckily, his friends weren't here. It was just Tony, alone and broken. After dinner, Tony didn't feel like talking, so he went straight up to his dorm and got into bed. Sleep came quickly, but with it a terrible nightmare.

Tony was standing in a meadow with green grass, flowers and a golden gazebo. He began to walk around, fascinated by the place until he heard a voice, one that sounded like a thousand angels talking at once, speak his name.

"Anthony DiNozzo?" He froze. He would know that voice anywhere. Slowly, he turned around and came face to face with the love of his life. The girl he had been watching for three years, Caitlin Todd.

"Caitlin?" Caitlin nodded and Tony studied her, looking up and down her body. She was even more beautiful than he remembered. _'Of course she is! It's a dream!' _Tony thought anxiously. Lost in his thought, he didn't notice when Caitlin walked to the edge of a cliff, one he hadn't noticed before.

"Why did you watch me Anthony? You watched me for three years, I thought you were a stalker."

"No, that's not true!" Tony argued. "I never meant to be a stalker!"

"Yet you were one none the less. Goodbye Anthony DiNozzo." Realising what Caitlin was about to do, Tony ran forward, but it was too late, Caitlin had already jumped.

"No!" He yelled. Suddenly, the meadow was no longer a peaceful place, and Tony noticed shadows and monsters that were there for a moment and then gone the next. He looked back towards the cliff where Caitlin had jumped from. She was standing there once more, but had dark gray skin and bloodshot red eyes. Her hair was long and mangy and she had fingernails that were at least an inch long. When she spoke, it was like fingernails grinding down a chalkboard.

"You killed me Anthony DiNozzo!" She screamed. "You stalked me and forced me to commit suicide!" She flew forwards and tightened her hands around Tony's neck. "I. Hate. You." Tony could feel himself running out of air, and the last thing he heard before everything went black was Caitlin's maniac scream.

Tony woke with a start. He sat up in bed and looked around, breathing deeply. All of the other boys were in bed asleep. Tony got up and put on a dressing gown. He walked out to the living room and looked out the window at the moon. His nightmare had frightened him. He couldn't bear to lose Caitlin, yet he felt that he had already lost her. He was never going to see her again. Perhaps it was time for him to move on. But the more he thought of it, the more he realised he couldn't do it. He couldn't forget about Caitlin.

Still shaking he walked back to his dorm and got into bed once more. The next morning Tony felt like a zombie. It wasn't until his parents arrived at the front door did he remember that it was parents day.

"Anthony?" He turned around and was instantly pulled into a tight hug from his mother.

"Mum!" He pulled away and stuck his hand out for a handshake from his father. It came, as strong as he remembered.

"Perhaps we should sit down Anthony; I have some good news for you." Tony nodded and directed his parents to the nearest table. They all sat down, his parents sitting opposite from him. "Your Mother and I have done a lot of careful thinking and we believe that you are ready to be around females again." Tony looked up. Had he heard his parent's right? Were they actually going to bring him home, closer to Caitlin? His father pulled out a brochure. Tony took it and read the first line.

"Broken Grave School for Girls and Boys?" Tony looked into his parents eyes.

"You're transferring me to a mixed boarding school?"

"Are you unhappy with the decision? Would you rather stay here?" His mother asked him. Tony shook his head. At least being around girls again would enable him to forget about Caitlin. "Pack your bags Anthony, you leave with us immediately." Tony jumped up and hugged his parents, then ran to his dorm to pack his bags.


	2. Broken Grave School

His parents talked all the way to the new school. Tony couldn't speak. He was overwhelmed at the idea of going to a different school. 'Perhaps I'll find myself some friends at this school!' He thought to himself quietly. He tried not to think about the fact he'd be around females. Caitlin was still the one for him he was sure of it, but what if another girl got in the way? He shivered and pulled his coat around him more.

"Anthony, look out the window," his mother said. As Tony looked out he could see a green meadow with daffodils blooming. In the middle of the meadow was a pale white gazebo. He wondered how it had stayed so clean. There were rose vines entwined around the poles that held the roof up. Still wondering about the gazebo he looked ahead, and saw the school.

Broken Grave School for Girls and Boys was large. It had multiple buildings all with brown bricks that gave off an orange tinge. The main building surrounded a quadrangle. He could just make out boys and girls of all ages running through it.

"Mum?" He asked hesitantly.

"Yes honey? What is it?"

"How old are the other kids?" It wouldn't have bothered him two years ago. But ever since he went to boarding school he had been conscious of his age and the age of others around him.

"Um," his mother fumbled around with the brochure, "Broken Grave School for Girls and Boys is a mixed boarding school for children aged 5 to 17, so basically from kindergarten age all the way up to seniors in High School."

"Oh, okay." Tony settled back in his seat. He wasn't sure if he was ready to live with children of all ages but it didn't look like he had a choice.

"Hello, my name is Nancy DiNozzo and this is my husband Darren. Our son Anthony has been enrolled but he needs his uniform and books." The receptionist looked over the counter at Tony who was surveying the schools trophy case with great interest. The receptionist nodded and passed over the required materials.

Nancy called her son over and gave him the clothes. "Go and change dear, we'll be waiting here." Tony nodded and walked over to the bathroom to get changed. Nancy watched him go and hoped that he would survive better at this school than he did at the last one. Her husband came up and put his arm around her waist.

"He'll be fine Nancy, don't worry," he said to calm her down. Nancy nodded and took Darren's hand. They stood like that, frozen until Tony returned wearing long black pants, a white long sleeved shirt, a maroon tie and a maroon blazer. His hair still stuck up and his mother quickly bustled over to him trying to flatten it.

"Mum stop it!" Tony said as he struggled and squirmed out of his mother's grasp. Nancy stepped back and admired her son.

"Do you have everything you need?" Nancy asked him. Tony nodded. "Very well. This young boy will take you to your dormitory. Have fun this term." Tony nodded again and hugged his mother tightly. He then shook his Father's hand and stood watching as his parents left him once again at a boarding school.

Once they'd left he turned around and came face to face with a boy his age. The boy had black hair and was wearing glasses. His uniform was ironed crisply and tucked in at all the right places. The boy stuck his hand out and Tony took it.

"Jacob Graham," he said, "I'm in your grade. We share a dormitory together."

"Anthony DiNozzo but you can call me Tony," Tony replied.

"Nice to meet you Tony," the two let go of each other's hands and looked at the bags at Tony's feet. "Is this everything?" Tony looked around at the bags at his feet. There was a suitcase, a backpack and a duffel bag. Everything he needed had fit into the suitcase and duffel bag and the backpack was for school.

"Yup this is everything." Jacob leaned over and picked up Tony's suitcase.

"Follow me then," he said indicating a door on their right. Jacob led Tony through the school pointing out different buildings as he went. "All the buildings have a corresponding letter to them. For example," he pointed to the nearest building, "that one is A Block. All of the classrooms inside are used for language classes. B Block is administration, C Block is English and Grammar, D Block is Science, E Block is art, F Block is Maths, G Block is for Social Studies, History and Geography, H Block is for sport theory and such. The primary school students stay in the same classroom all the time. That's their building over there," he pointed to a building that Tony hadn't noticed before. It was bigger than the rest, so big in fact it could have belonged to a whole different school.

Tony spotted Jacob a few feet away and hurried to catch up with him. He was still talking as if he didn't even notice Tony had gone.

"The school has a gym, a swimming pool, a dance studio," he made a face when he mentioned dance, "a dining hall, actually we have three. One for primary school students, one for middle school and one for high school, we also have the bathrooms and the dormitories, and they're over here." As Jacob led Tony towards the dorms he continued to explain about how the school was run and about the curriculum. When they reached the dormitory he held the door open and let Tony into a large sitting area.

"This is Dorm C. You've got the sitting area, a snack fridge, and upstairs the rooms and bathrooms." Tony looked around at the sitting area. It had one large couch that was a pale brown colour, three large televisions, beanbags, a bookcase and a dining table. Tony assumed the table would be for assignments and such. He followed Jacob upstairs and into a dorm room. Looking on the door as he passed, Tony learnt that he was in Room 5.

"How many rooms are in this dorm?" He asked Jacob.

"Ten, but two people share a dorm. This is ours." Jacob went and sat on his side of the room leaving Tony to explore his own. There was a single bed with a bedside table, a small dresser, a desk and a chair. Tony began to unpack his bags. He was still unpacking when the bell rang for dinner.

"You coming?" Jacob asked him.

"Yeah I'll be along in a minute." Jacob shrugged and walked out the door. Tony sat on his bed and pulled out the picture of Caitlin. He looked at it every day, wishing he could see her again in the flesh. He looked out of the window and saw swarms of kids heading towards their designated dining room. Sighing, Tony stood up and walked out the door. Jacob had left without him so he'd have to find his own way to the dining room.

As he walked he thought to himself. He wondered what his classes would be like, and if he'd be able to find them. Jacob had given him a map but he didn't want to walk around holding that all day. If he was lucky he'd have some classes with Jacob, the others he would just have to, like his best mate used to say, 'wing it.'


	3. Call Me Kate

The next day Tony felt like he was moving in slow motion. The school was huge and there were kids and teenagers everywhere. Tony felt lost. He had his newly founded best friend Jacob Graham with him, but that didn't help. He felt as though he had a hole in his heart, and although there were many of people to fill it, it seemed to grow larger until it threatened to consume him.

Tony looked at the map he had concealed in his books once more. He was certain he was heading the right way but he wanted to make sure. Once he was sure that he was going to the right way he looked up and realised to late he was about to crash into a girl. They went tumbling onto the floor, their books going everywhere with a loud crash. Tony kept his head down and gathered up his books. He put his hand on a book and was startled when the girl did too. He looked up and stared into her eyes. They stood up together and the girl stood back to study him. Tony stood feeling awkward.

"Tony DiNozzo?" Tony froze. This girl knew his name. But how?

"Yes?" he replied.

"It's me, Caitlin Todd?" The girl said with a large smile on her face. Tony looked her up and down. If it was Caitlin, and he didn't doubt that it was, then she had changed so much. Her hair was longer now and reached halfway down her back. She had gotten taller, but Tony was taller still. She was wearing a black skirt, white socks that came to her knees, black buckle shoes, a white blouse, maroon tie and a maroon blazer. Her hair was flowing and she had placed a hair ribbon in it. "Oh my gosh I can't believe it's you! It's been like what? Three years or something?"

"Two actually," Tony said. Caitlin looked astonished.

"Two years is that all? Gosh!" The bell rang then and some girls came up and took Caitlin by the arms.

"I've got to go," she said.

"Oh right well I'd better go too."

"Bye Tony."

"Bye Caitlin."

"Kate." Tony turned around to face her again.

"What?"

"Call me Kate," she said before running off after her friends. Tony stood frozen. He couldn't believe that he had just spoken to the girl of his dreams. He wanted to stand there staring where she had been and smelling the fragrance of perfume she left behind for hours, but he remembered with a jolt that he was in school and very late for his Mathematics class. He turned and ran full speed towards his class, all the time thinking about Kate.

The rest of the day was like a blur to Tony and it seemed no time at all that he was back in his dormitory getting ready for bed.

"Earth to Tony?" Jacob clicked his fingers in front of Tony's face. Tony blinked before turning to Jacob with a look of annoyance plastered on his face.

"What?"

"Sheesh, I was only asking you if you knew where my toothbrush was."

"Oh sorry," Tony sat down on his bed. Jacob looked at him with concern.

"What's wrong with you today mate? You," Jacob stopped as if something clicked in his brain, "you met a girl today didn't you?" Tony nodded. "You've got to tell me everything. What's her name, do I have any classes with her and when are you going to see her again?"

"Her name's Kate Todd, I don't know if you have classes with her and I don't know when I'll see her again. It's a shame really. You see, I've known Kate for a long time, but I haven't seen her for the last two years," Tony said with a sigh.

"Why not?" Jacob asked sitting on his bed cross legged. Tony told Jacob everything from the first time he saw Kate up till today when he saw her again. "Wow." Jacob said when Tony had finished his story. "That's um, interesting. Still, you have got to see her again man. She's obviously the one for you."

"I know, but I don't know how to show her that."

"I'm sure you'll think of something. Now go to sleep." Tony got up and tiptoed to the bathroom, turning the bedroom light off as he went. 'Tomorrow,' he thought to himself, 'tomorrow I'll show Kate I'm the one for her.'

In her dorm, Kate was having a similar conversation with her roommate Hannah. Hannah had curly brown hair that came to her shoulders and a nose piercing. All facial jewellery was banned at Broken Grave School, but Hannah always found a way around everything.

"Are you serious?" Kate nodded. "This is huge Kate. You have got to talk to this guy again."

"I know Hannah but I can't. I don't know what classes he's in or anything like that." Hannah looked thoughtful.

"You could always just look for him in the school yard." Kate stared at her friend. "What?"

"Oh nothing. It's just that you've had a good idea," Kate said with a smile on her face.

"I have good ideas quite often thank you very much!" Hannah replied, standing up and putting her hands on her hips. Kate burst out laughing.

"You have ideas all right, but they're very rarely good!" Hannah grabbed a pillow and through it at Kate. It hit her square in the face but she didn't stop laughing. She and Hannah laughed until their dorm teacher came in and told them to stop.

The next day both Tony and Kate were looking around for each other, but neither were successful. Tony and Jacob were early to third period English class, and were startled when they saw Kate and Hannah walk through the door with a blond girl. The girl had blond bushy hair and was wearing the same uniform as Kate and Hannah but looked much more snobby and up herself.

Jacob leaned over to Tony and whispered, "if you and Kate do begin going out, promise me that I never have to meet that girl." Tony chuckled and looked towards the front of the class. Kate looked around and spotted Tony. She smiled and came to sit at the desk next to him. The blond sat in front of her and Hannah sat behind.

Their teacher Mr Morgan came in and began to read them a passage from the Shakespeare poem _Othello. _Tony got bored very quickly and began looking around instead. He looked at Jacob who was drawing a detailed picture of a dragon. The blond was examining her nails and Hannah was doodling. When Tony snuck a look at Kate he saw that she was writing something in earnest. A few seconds later she held out a note to him. He took it and read what it said.

_Tony,_

_Meet me under the gazebo during lunch break today. You would have seen it when you drove in._

_It's big, white and has vines entwined through it._

_See you there!_

_Love Kate xoxo_

Tony read the letter several times before the message sunk in. Kate wanted to see him, alone. It was more than he could have hoped for. He turned his head and nodded slightly to her. She smiled and bent her head over her desk so that no one would see her blushing. She had never felt this way about anyone before, and now she had.


	4. Are You Sure?

At lunch Tony headed over to the gazebo near the entrance of the school. He stopped a few feet away and watched Kate fix her hair. She threw it up in a rough ponytail and added some lip gloss. When she was done he took a deep breath and walked over to sit beside her.

"So, Tony what was your old school like? I asked your friends back home where you'd gone and they said your parents sent you away to boarding school," Kate said with a smile.

"Yea that's right. I went to an all boy's school," Tony replied. He looked at her hand which she had placed on the bench between them. He wanted so badly to place his own hand on top, but wasn't sure if it was the right time. He wanted everything to work out, and didn't want to push their relationship to fast.

"An all boy's school? Why did they send you there?" Kate questioned. Tony was unsure how he could answer that question. He knew that the real answer was because he had been spying on her for three years and his parents had found out, but he couldn't tell her that. He did something that he never wanted to do to Kate. He lied.

"Um, they wanted me to have discipline and respect for females," he started. After all this was half true. His parents had sent him to the school so he could learn to have respect for the opposite sex. "A few weeks ago they talked about it and decided I'd been separated from girls long enough so they brought me here."

"Wow," Kate said, edging her hand closer to his leg. "That's a pretty interesting story." A breeze started up and her hair began blowing in the wind. Tony could smell the strawberry scented shampoo she had used on her hair the night before. He wanted to reach out and run his hands through it, and he wanted her to do the same to him. He leaned in and Kate leaned in as well. They closed their eyes and kept getting closer and closer until their lips almost touched. Tony could almost taste her lip gloss, but the bell rang. Kate's eyes snapped open and she stood up abruptly.

"Oh no! I'm going to be so late! See you later Tony," she said as she began backing away.

"See you later," Tony said as he stood up. Kate turned and began walking towards the school but Tony called her name again.

"Yes?" She asked.

"Would you like to go out with me tonight?" Tony called bravely, letting his words travel on the wind to reach her. When she heard them she walked towards him again.

"Are you sure?" Tony nodded.

"I've never been surer of anything in my life." Kate smiled widely and gave him a peck on the cheek.

"Then it's a date!" Kate ran off leaving Tony looking bewildered. He couldn't believe that he was going on a date with Kate. He shook his head and quickly picked up his book bag before running after Kate towards the school.

After their afternoon classes, Tony and Jacob retreated to their dormitories so they could do all of their homework before dinner. They sat at their desks and opened up their books. Tony held his pen above his page but didn't write anything. Instead he sat staring out of the window at the girl's dorms.

"Tony?" To Tony Jacob's voice sounded a million miles away, but it was enough to bring him back to reality.

"Hmm?"

"Do you want to take a break? My head can't handle any more long division. It feels like it's about to explode!" Tony agreed and the two of them walked downstairs and grabbed a fizzy drink from the snack fridge. Then they walked back upstairs and sat on their beds to drink it.

"How did the lunch date go?" Jacob asked. Tony sighed, lost in his memories before he replied.

"It was..." he stopped, not sure how to finish the sentence.

"Did you kiss?" Tony shook his head.

"She kissed me on the cheek. Does that count?" Jacob shook his head. "It doesn't does it?"

"No."

"I don't want this relationship to move to fast Jacob. Don't you understand that I love her with all my heart? I can't mess anything up." Jacob took a sip of his drink thoughtfully. "I did ask her out though."

"What? For when?"

"Tonight."

"Tonight?"

"Yes tonight."

"What are you going to do with her tonight?" Jacob asked seriously.

"I don't know." Tony leant back on the wall and thought deeply about what he could do with Kate that night. "I've got it!"

"What? What are you going to do?" Tony didn't answer but hopped up and ran out of the room. He had to get some supplies.

"He what?" Hannah screamed. Kate was talking in her room with her two best friends Hannah and Shaina. Hannah was her roommate and Shaina was the blond that Tony had seen in English class.

"He asked me out for tonight!" Hannah began jumping around the room with joy but Shaina stayed where she was sitting painting her nails.

"Big whoop he asked you out," she said, "what's so special about that? Loads of guys ask me out and it doesn't mean anything. He'll probably just want to shag you then he'll leave." Hannah stopped jumping around and both she and Kate stared at Shaina.

"Shaina how can you say that?" Kate asked.

"Yeah Shaina that's so rude!" Hannah implied.

"Oh boo hoo why don't you both go and have a cry?" Shaina asked her voice as cool as ice.

"Why don't you get out of our room?" Kate asked with a fake happiness.

"Fine. But don't come crying to me when your boyfriend dumps you," Shaina said making quotation marks with her fingers when she said the word boyfriend. Hannah rolled her eyes and Kate watched as Shaina left the room, her nose high in the air.

"So, what are you going to wear?" Hannah asked almost as soon as Shaina left the room.

"I don't know. I want to look nice, but not to eager. I don't want him to think I'm you know, a slut." Hannah nodded and pulled open the closet door. She began searching through all of Kate's clothes, finally pulling out what she thought Kate should wear.

"No it's too, just no Hannah." Hannah looked at the clothes in her hand, shrugged and threw them on the bed before looking through the closet once more. Kate giggled and stood up. She walked over to the closet and pushed Hannah out of the way playfully. As she was searching through the closet she felt a pillow hit the back of head. She turned around slowly and saw Hannah whistling and looking innocent. Laughing, she picked up the pillow and threw it back at Hannah who shielded her face just in time. A full out pillow war began and the outfit was soon forgotten.


	5. Roses Are Red

**A/N- Sorry everyone... just a quick couple of acknowledgements from the author. First I'd like to say that Kate's outfit was inspired by something Miley Cyrus wore in her February 2009 photoshoot. I'd also like to thank JasperHaleFan for her input (and constant ranting) that inspired the characters Hannah and Shaina.**

Please keep reading and leaving me reviews cos reviews are the best sort of feedback anyone can give. This is the fifth chapter of Dwindling Fire and I hope everyone enjoys it!

* * *

"Tony please can I look now?" Kate asked.

"Not yet," Tony replied. He had his hand over her eyes and was leading her towards the grass just beyond the gazebo. As they walked Tony looked at Kate. Her brown hair had been curled and was half up and half down. She was wearing yellow skinny-leg jeans with a light blue tank top over a white tank top. Around her neck were an even lighter blue scarf and an elegant necklace. On her feet she wore black converse.

"Okay, now you can look," Tony said as he removed his hand from her eyes. Kate opened them and found herself staring at a table with a white tablecloth and two white chairs. On the table was a vase full of red roses, and surrounding the table in the trees were dozens of lit candles.

"Tony it's beautiful, but aren't the candles in the trees kind of dangerous?" Tony shrugged and showed her a fire extinguisher he had placed under one of the trees.

"I'm prepared." Tony took Kate's hand and led her over to the table.

"Madam," he said as she sat down and he pushed her chair in. Tony walked around the table and sat down. He reached into a cooler bag at his feet and pulled out two champagne glasses and a bottle of expensive sparkling mineral water. He poured the water and he and Kate clinked glasses.

"Now for the first course," Tony clapped his hands and a server walked out from behind a tree carrying two dishes on the tray. He placed the dishes on the table before retreating behind the tree once more. Kate looked down at the plate in front of her. On it was a salad with three small containers filled with dressings.

"Bon appetite!" Tony said happily. Kate picked up her fork and picked delicately at her food. They mostly talked about school as they ate the first course. When they were done, Tony clapped his hands and the server appeared once more, this time to take their plates away. Ten minutes later he reappeared carrying two plates full of pasta. Once they were set down on the table he walked back behind the tree, leaving Tony and Kate alone.

"I have to admit to you Tony, when you asked me out for tonight I was a little nervous," Kate said as she watched Tony eat his pasta. Tony swallowed his mouthful quickly and smiled at her.

"I was a little nervous about asking you out," he replied. Kate giggled and looked at her hands. The two ate their pasta in silence, not sure what they should say to each other. Every so often Kate would look up but if she caught Tony looking at her she would quickly duck her head. 'What is wrong with me?' she thought to herself. 'I like him and I think he likes me. Why is this so difficult?' But deep down she knew the answer was that because she liked him so much she didn't want to mess anything up. What she didn't know was that Tony was feeling the exact same thing.

By the time they had finished their pasta they still had not said anything and continued to sit in an awkward silence. Kate stared at her hands and Tony looked at her. He was trying to work up the courage to ask her a question, one that could change the course of their lives forever. He still wasn't sure if it was the right question to be asking, they were only sixteen after all.

Back in the student lounge Jacob was sitting against the window with a pair of binoculars trained on the gazebo.

"What are you doing Graham?" Jacob jumped and fell of the chair he was sitting on. When he got up he realised that Kate's roommate Hannah Brown was standing in front of him with her hands on her hips.

"What's it to you Brown?" Neither Jacob nor Hannah liked each other. That was the only downside in Tony and Kate's relationship. That is, if their relationship ever got started. Hannah raised her eyebrows at him. "If you must know I was spying on Tony and Kate."

"Do you have not a shred of privacy in your bones Graham? Don't you think they'd like to be left alone tonight?" Jacob didn't listen but instead looked through the binoculars again. Hannah kept talking.

"Hey I think they're going to kiss!" Jacob said excitedly.

"Gimme those binoculars," Hannah said as she yanked the binoculars out of Jacob's hands. She watched for a few minutes before giving them back to him.

"False alarm." Jacob took the binoculars feeling a little disappointed. See what had happened was Tony had finally worked up the courage to ask Kate the question, and what Jacob had seen was Tony taking her hand and leading her towards the gazebo. Thinking he wouldn't see anything else, Jacob retreated back to the room he shared with Tony.

"Kate, there's something I've been meaning to ask you but I'm not sure how I should say it," Tony said nervously. He and Kate were sitting on the bench in the gazebo holding each other's hands and staring into each other's eyes.

"It's okay Tony, I think I know what you're trying to tell me, and there are so many things I want to tell you to," she began but then stopped. She closed her eyes and leaned in letting Tony do the same thing. The next thing she felt were his lips on hers. Later when she got back to her room she wouldn't be able to describe how she was feeling to Hannah. For one of the first times in her life she was speechless. When the kiss ended she felt a little disappointed. She didn't want this moment to ever end. Tony stood up and helped Kate to her feet. They interlocked their fingers and began walking back to school together, side by side.

"Kate," Tony said suddenly pulling her back, "would you like to be my girlfriend?" Kate was stunned for a few seconds, but when she unfroze she felt as though her heart would burst with joy.

"Yes!" She blurted out. She through her arms around his neck and he kissed her full on the mouth. When it was over they walked back to the dorms together. Tony dropped Kate off at her dorm first before walking back to his. Once inside Jacob began hounding him with questions.

"What happened? Did you kiss? Did you ask her out again? Are you going steady? Tell me everything!" Tony sat on his bed before answering Jacob's questions.

"Tonight was absolutely perfect! The candlelit dinner and the roses were the perfect thing for a first date. Oh that reminds me, I have to pay that bloke from the school orchestra by tomorrow."

"Why do you have to pay someone from the school orchestra?" Jacob asked confused. The dinner and the roses he understood, but not an extra person.

"He served us our meals." Jacob nodded his head to show that he understood. "Anyway after the dinner I took her into the gazebo and we kissed." Jacob jumped up and gave Tony a high five. When he sat down again Tony continued his story. "Anyway, after we kissed we started walking back to the school together, and then I asked her to be my girlfriend."

"Did she say yes?" Tony nodded.

"I now have one truly hot girlfriend!" Tony stated proudly.

"Awesome! Just one question."

"What?"

"Does this mean you're going to start hanging out with her and sitting with her at mealtimes and in class and stuff?"

"Yeah, what's the matter with that?" Now Tony was the one that was confused.

"Oh man! That means that the four of us will be hanging out together doesn't it?"

"The four of us?"

"You, me, Kate and Brown," Tony shrugged his shoulders. He didn't see what the problem was. "Brown and I don't exactly get along." Jacob explained.

"You're just going to have to try." In the girls dorm Hannah was anxiously waiting Kate's return. She wanted to know everything. When Kate finally came in she looked as though she was floating on clouds.

"So how'd it go? You have to tell me everything!" Kate came in and sat on the bed cross legged next to Hannah.

"Well, he surprised me with a candlelit dinner and red roses. It was really romantic. I swear he is the most romantic man I have ever met," Kate stared off into space thinking about Tony until Hannah clicked her fingers in front of her face.

"Sorry. Um, where was I?"

"You were talking about how romantic Tony was," Hannah supplied happily.

"Right. Anyway, after dinner he took my hands and led me over to the gazebo where we kissed." Hannah screamed and Kate put her finger to her ear. "Ouch! I think I'm partially deaf now thanks to that scream."

"Sorry Kate, I'm just happy for you."

"If this is you being happy I never want to see you ecstatic. After we kissed we began to walk towards the school but he pulled me back and asked me to be his girlfriend."

"Did you say yes?"

"Of course I said yes Hannah! I must be the luckiest girl in school. I mean I have a boyfriend who loves me for who I am and is truly romantic." Kate sighed and laid back on her pillows.

"I am truly happy for you Kate, but I'd be a lot happier if I didn't have to be anywhere near Tony's friend Graham."

"Oh come on Hannah. Can't you two just try to be friends? For me and Tony?" Kate turned on the charm and began giving Hannah puppy dog eyes.

"Kate you know that Graham and I have been enemies since pre-school." Kate said nothing but continued looking at her with puppy dog eyes. "Well, I, I guess we could give it a try." Kate smiled and hugged Hannah tightly.

"One of the many reasons you're still my best friend."


	6. Mr Hound

**A/N- Sorry about this, I promise I'll make it quick!! I'm sorry that it's taken me so long to update I will try harder next time! As for the story, I have to warn you that the next chapter (and possibly the one after that) will contain some adult themes like attempted rape and such. If you do not wish to read about these then please don't and please don't send me a harmful review about it. A T rating implies suggestive adult themes and that is all that this will be. Thanks and now... enjoy chapter six of Dwindling Fire!**

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Tony and Jacob sat in their dorm eating as much junk food as they could. Jacob had snuck into the school kitchen and stolen it so they had to eat all of the evidence quickly.

"You know what Jacob?" Tony asked. Jacob shrugged because his mouth was so full of food. "When I first saw you I thought you were a complete geek. I mean your shirt was tucked in and ironed and you wore those dorky glasses, what happened to them anyway?" he asked as a bit of an afterthought. Jacob swallowed his mouthful before answering.

"I chucked them," he said simply.

"Can you see?" Jacob made a face.

"What sort of a stupid question is that?" He retorted quickly, "and yes I can see thank you very much. I wear contacts."

"Then explain the tucked in shirt and crisply ironed pants?"

"My parents visited that day," Jacob said finally. Tony said nothing for a moment before he burst out laughing. "It's not funny! My folks are totally oblivious to everything. They think I'm a total nerd!"

"What about your report cards?" Tony asked his eyes full of tears of laughter.

"I pay some computer geek to make them up for me. My parents and my teachers have absolutely no clue."

"Cool," Tony said now that he had stopped laughing. The two boys began talking about the upcoming football game their school was going to participate in when a knock came at their door. Tony jumped up to answer it. Standing in their doorway was a small boy about seven years old. He was scrawny looking and had blond hair. He looked frightened and Tony wondered what he was doing there.

"What do you want kid?" He asked.

"I'm meant to give you this," the boy said as he thrust a box of chocolates towards Tony. Tony took them and closed the door on the kid's face. He could hear Jacob chuckling from the safety of his bed. Tony sat down on his bed and ripped open the card that had come with the chocolates.

"Dear Tony," he read aloud, "last night was the best night of my life. These chocolates can't even begin to describe how I feel right now but I'm hoping they say something. Lots of love, Kate. XOXO." Tony stopped reading and looked up into Jacob's face. "Yes Jacob."

"Yes what?"

"I meant yes you are going to have to try and get along with Hannah. You're my best friend and Hannah is Kate's."

"And I should care about this because?" Jacob said while waving his arm about.

"Just forget it," Tony said as he jumped up from the bed and grabbed his coat.

"Hey, where are you going?" Tony didn't answer him but flung the door open and walked out. He had a hunch and he wanted to see if it would prove to be right. He walked past the sitting area where a bunch of kids were sitting and walked right out the front door. Once outside he took in a deep breath of fresh air, and smelled it. The very thing he had come out here to search for. Following his nose he walked around the corner of the dormitory and was instantly provided with Kate's company.

"Hey cutie," he said as he pulled her close to him.

"Hey yourself," she replied tilting her face up towards his. They kissed for the second time and to Tony it was as thrilling as the first. They broke apart a few seconds later when the sound of a twig snapping startled them. They weren't supposed to be out of their dormitories after eight thirty and it was now nine o'clock. Convinced that the caretaker at the school was walking around the grounds Tony insisted that Kate went back to her dorm immediately.

"But Tony I snuck out so I could be with you!" Kate whispered urgently. Tony pulled her down into the cover of the bushes before replying.

"I know," he said and kissed her softly on the lips, "but I don't want you thrown in detention for it." They kissed again and Kate agreed that it was best to go back to her dorm. They were silent for a few moments as they listened out to try and locate the footsteps of the caretaker.

"I think we're safe. Let's go!" Kate whispered as she took Tony's hand. Together the two of them crept out from the bushes and came face to face with the caretaker Steven Hound. Mr. Hound was a tall man with a military cut hairstyle and a face that looked as though he was constantly sucking on something very sour. Mr Hound had his hands on his hips and was looking at Tony and Kate with a wicked smile.

"Well well well what do we have here?" He asked seizing them up with his beady brown eyes. "A couple of sixteen year olds coming out of the bushes holding hands, oh the headmistress won't be too pleased about that will he?" Tony and Kate looked at each other. "Come on then!" said and grabbed them by the arms. They were marched over to the school and forced through the front doors. Mr Hound led the straight to the headmistress's office where he said gruffly, "wait there," before knocking on the door three times.

"Come in!" a voice called from behind the door. Mr Hound opened the door and ushered Tony and Kate inside, closing the door behind them. The headmistress was a kind looking woman with bright blue eyes and blond hair that was pulled into a bun. She wore a tired look on her face as she looked up at Tony and Kate. The nameplate on her desk read Ms Michelle Worthington. "Names?" she asked wearily.

"Anthony DiNozzo."

"Caitlin Todd," they replied anxiously. Ms. Worthington made a note on a slip of paper before fixing them both with a long and painful stare. Tony felt as though he could burst with anticipation.

"I caught them in the bushes behind dormitory C," Mr Hound said to Ms Worthington. He too had been feeling a little uncomfortable by the stare Ms Worthington was delivering and wanted to get out of there as soon as he could.

"Well then Mr DiNozzo, Miss Todd, could you please tell me what you were doing in the bushes behind dormitory C?" Ms Worthington asked, pen in hand. Tony and Kate looked at each other again, not knowing what to say.

"Failure to answer," Ms Worthington muttered as she made another note on her slip of paper, "out of dorms after hours," after scribbling for a few moments she looked up. "Well Mr DiNozzo and Miss Todd I must inform you that you will be receiving two one hour detentions for this and should it happen again you will be placed under house arrest." Tony and Kate nodded. The punishment seemed fair enough to them. "Very well then, Mr Hound," she called to the caretaker who was sulking in the corner. He had hoped for a more severe punishment than detentions. "Mr Hound please escort Mr DiNozzo and Miss Todd back to their dormitories."

"Yes headmistress," Mr Hound said as he gave a small bow to her. Tony did the same and Kate did a small curtsy. At Broken Grave School they took pride in the respect students showed teachers and each other. One of the main rules at the school was that they were not allowed to have any form of contact with the other gender unless under supervision from a teacher. That was one of the reasons Nancy and Darren DiNozzo chose to send their son there. It would teach him respect for adults and women.

Mr Hound however showed no such respect for the students and as soon as the door had been closed to Ms Worthington's office he began to push Tony and Kate in the direction of the dormitories.

"Bet you thought you got off easy didn't you?" He said to them in a rough voice that didn't hide his disgust. "Oh I wish they didn't let the old punishments die out. I miss the days when we took a ruler to a student's hand, stung for days! You could always guarantee that students think twice about misbehaving after they'd felt the sting of a ruler. But no," he continued on talking more to himself than to either Tony or Kate. They looked sideways at each and caught each other's eye but Mr Hound grabbed their heads the pointed them forwards again. When they reached dorm C Mr Hound pushed Tony in and closed the door. Looking out the window Tony could see Kate being marched along the path by Mr Hound, his hand firmly on her arm.

Fuming, Tony returned to his room where Jacob was laying on his bed reading a magazine.

"Where the hell have you been Tony? One minute we were happily talking away and then all of sudden you bolt from the room!" He exclaimed angrily.

"I met Kate out the side of the dorm. I thought she might be there. How else would the kid have brought me the chocolates? Anyway we kissed and I convinced her to go back to her dorm because I didn't want her to get detention, but then we were found by Mr Hound. I can tell you now Jacob it did not look good for us. We had emerged from the bushes holding hands."

"Ouch," Jacob said sympathetically, "what happened then?"

"Well, Mr Hound took us to the headmistress and she gave us two one hour detentions each."

"Damn!"

"Yea I know, oh well. Time for sleep I think. I'm beat!" As the two boys got ready for bed Tony was still thinking about the way Mr Hound was holding Kate when he led her towards her own dormitory. It was as though he hadn't wanted her to get away. When Jacob turned out the light and went to sleep, Tony lay wide awake into the night, wondering about what he had seen and what it meant.


	7. Protect Me Please

Tony didn't sleep that night. He was too busy worrying about Kate, and hoping she got back to her dormitory all right. As he settled in for a restless night's sleep, Kate was being led towards her dorm, Mr Hound's hand firmly on her arm. She knew she was just being silly, but she was terrified. She didn't know why she was terrified either. The way Mr Hound was gripping her arm made her nervous. She was grateful when she got to her dorm and he pushed her through the door. Shaking, she walked up to her room and was instantly pulled into a hug from Hannah.

"Oh my gosh Kate I was so worried about you! You left to give Tony some chocolates and didn't come back for about an hour. You said you'd only be ten minutes! I have been sitting here waiting for you to come back but you didn't!" Kate pulled away and gave Hannah a look, "well I mean, you're back now, but you weren't!" As Kate sat down her bed gave a large grown.

"Oh be quiet!" She yelled angrily.

"Kate, you're yelling to a bed," said Hannah who was slightly amused.

"Look, I don't want to talk about it okay?"

"Okay." Hannah sat down on her bed and began leafing through a magazine.

"He came outside and met me round the side of the building then we were caught by Mr Hound who took us to Ms Worthington who gave us two one hour detentions and then Mr Hound took us back to our dorms and he had a tight grip on my arm and I was dead scared," Kate took a deep breath and fell backwards onto her pillow. Hannah looked stunned.

"Maybe we should get some rest, you sound like you had an eventful night," Hannah suggested.

"You got that right," Kate murmured to herself as she got ready for bed.

The next day, Kate would jump at the slightest noise and to her it seemed as though Mr Hound was everywhere. He seemed to be making excuses to come into every class she had but when she mentioned this to Tony at lunch he just laughed.

"Don't be silly Kate, he wouldn't be doing that just to get a glimpse of you," he joked. Deep down he thought that it could be a possibility but he didn't want to say anything in case he upset her. For the rest of the day Kate kept her eyes out for Mr Hound. He didn't pop up and she didn't know where he was. This thought should have comforted her, but it didn't. Instead it made her even more nervous.

After school that day she went to Tony's dorm to try and get him to talk to her about it. He answered the front door and stood leaning against the frame with his arms folded. Kate took a deep breath and then began to voice her fears.

"Tony, I think Mr Hound is, well," she stopped and looked at her feet. She had no idea how she was going to finish that sentence. She didn't know what Mr Hound was thinking or was planning to do and she didn't even know if it would involve her. She just wanted Tony to wrap his arms around her and tell her it would be okay. But he didn't. Instead he rolled his eyes.

"Gosh Kate you're not still on about that are you?" Kate stood there frozen. How could he say such things to her? "I mean, it's completely stupid! Why would you think Mr Hound would want anything to do with you?" He continued, raising his voice.

"What are you talking about Tony? Haven't you seen the way he looked at me today? And the way he had gripped my arm last night? He's not a normal guy Tony! He's weird and he gives me the creeps! You're my boyfriend, you're meant to protect me from guys like that! You're meant to give me support and stuff like that! Not stand there laughing like everything's okay!" She said angrily.

"Maybe you should leave then!" Tony retorted loudly.

"Maybe I will!" Kate cried and Tony slammed the door in her face. She took a step backwards and blinking back tears she began running. She was running as fast as should could and didn't know where she was going. When she finally stopped running she saw that she had run straight into the small wood that was alongside the school. She took a deep breath and looked around. She could just make out the boy's dormitory through the trees. She would be safe as long as she could still see it.

Kate sat down on a fallen log and put her head in her hands. She began to cry but the sound of a twig snapping made her look up. Seeing nothing she assumed it was a squirrel and continued to cry. She began to hear footsteps that were getting louder meaning whoever they belonged to was getting closer. She wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone not to mention the fact that she was out of bounds so she got up and began moving silently through the trees. Suddenly a hand grabbed her from behind and pulled her backwards. She tried to scream but another hand quickly covered her mouth.

"Look what we have here!" A voice snarled in her ear. Kate felt her blood chill. The voice belonged to Mr Hound. "Out of bounds are we little miss Katie?" Kate struggled against him but he was too strong. He had her in his grasp, one she could never hope to break out of. Very slowly he turned her around and removed the hand from her mouth. She had half a mind to run but couldn't, his grip was too strong, she could scream but she didn't feel as though she had the energy.

Mr Hound gave her a grin that made him look like a mad man before pulling her into a strong kiss. She got her hands and tried to push away from him. It didn't work so using her feet she kicked where she knew it would hurt. He fell to the floor with a groan and she tried to run but he grabbed her foot causing her to fall over. She tried to sit up but he rolled her over instead and put his hands inside her top, ripping it off. When he did, she screamed as loudly as she could until he hit her over the head with a branch. Everything went black and her scream ended slowly, as it travelled on the wind through the open window of Tony DiNozzo's room.


	8. Bad News Followed By More Bad News

**A/N- This chapter is the last chapter of the school section. Next there will be one chapter of Tony at Metro P.D before he moves on to NCIS. So please read and review! I hope you guys all like it!**

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Tony bolted up to his room and sat on his bed shaking. He couldn't believe what had just happened between him and Kate. He had half a mind to jump up and run down to her and apologize, but he wouldn't give her the satisfaction. Besides, couples are meant to argue weren't they? Not wanting to dwell on it any longer Tony grabbed his book bag and took out his math book. If that didn't take his mind off Kate he didn't know what would.

A few hours later he stood up, stretched then looked at his watch. It was almost time for dinner. Tony had done a lot of thinking while he was supposedly doing math homework and had decided to talk to Kate at dinner. He wanted to apologize for what he had said and that he hoped they would be okay, but the chance never came.

As Tony left for dinner he thought he heard a faint scream come in through his window but thought better of it and continued to the dining room. Once inside he scanned the room for Kate. When he didn't see her he wasn't concerned. After the fight they had had it seemed natural to him that Kate would be crying alone in her room. The thought made him feel queasy. After he forced down as much of his dinner as he could, Tony got up and walked back to his dorm. He would talk to Kate the next day.

After his alarm clock woke him up Tony sat bolt upright in bed. He felt anxious all of a sudden, kind of like a gut feeling, but didn't think anything of it. Instead he began to get ready for school, thinking about what he was going to say to Kate when he saw her. Somehow he didn't think 'I'm Sorry' was going to cut it this time. By the time Jacob had got up and struggled to get ready Tony had decided exactly what he was going to say to Kate when he saw her.

All day Tony searched for Kate, but he didn't see her anywhere. Curious he went to ask Hannah where she was, but as soon as she saw him coming she turned and hurried away. Confused but very late for Spanish class Tony walked away trying to process what he had just seen. Nothing seemed to be adding up.

When school was finished Tony walked straight to Kate's dormitory and hammered on the door until Hannah opened it.

"Gosh Tony, there's no need to break our door down!" she exclaimed. Tony dropped his hand immediately.

"Sorry Hannah but I really wanted to talk to Kate. Could you go get her?" Hannah stared at him for a moment before an apologetic look crossed her face.

"Tony I thought you knew?" she stated quietly. Tony's heart began to pump a little faster.

"What did you think I knew?" he asked cautiously.

"Kate never came back from your dorm last night. I got concerned so I called the headmistress who then sent out teachers to go and find her. Early this morning they found her lying unconscious in the woods, her shirt ripped open. They think it was attempted rape. Anyway, she was in the sick bay until about three hours ago when she woke up and demanded to be taken away from this school. I was the only one she wanted to say goodbye too." Tony looked down at his feet, heartbroken. "Tony I'm so sorry-" she started before he cut her off.

"Who?" he growled.

"Mr Hound. When Kate came round the police asked her if she knew who attacked her. She told them it was Mr Hound but was pretty reluctant to go into details of what happened. They found Mr Hound lying in his hut just off school property. Apparently he tried to get a heavy bag off the top shelf of his cupboard and knocked himself out. He's been arrested but Kate's gone. Her parents are taking her to England with them. Tony I-" before she could say another word Tony had turned and begun running with all hast towards Mr Hound's hut. He wanted to see it, to destroy it.

When it finally came into view Tony slowed down and took a few deep breaths. Moving slowly, he crept towards the house and peered in the window. When he saw what was inside he gasped and took a tiny step back. Kate's face was staring at him from a photo on the wall. She was the only photo on the wall, but it was enough to make Tony feel sick. He staggered backwards and made his way back to his dormitory.

When he reached his bed he sunk down into it and wished he could vow never to rise from it again. The door opened and he heard Jacob enter the room quietly.

"Tony, I'm really sorry mate, Hannah's just told me," Jacob said before retreating quickly out of the room.

'He's afraid to be alone with me.' The thought aggravated Tony. He picked up the closet thing he could find which was his shoe and threw it against the wall. Breathing heavily he sunk onto his bed again and put his head on the pillow. He felt as though he was going to cry, but he didn't want anyone to see him. Instead he rolled over and closed his eyes, trying to will himself to sleep. It was many hours later, after Jacob had come in and gone to bed, that sleep finally found him.

Tony recognised where he was the moment he saw it. He was standing in the meadow where he first saw Kate, but he also realised that it had been a dream, and the Kate in that dream was not very friendly. Immediately he panicked and raised his hand to his arm ready to pinch himself awake, but he was also curious. He decided against waking himself up, preferring instead to see what the dream had in store for him.

He didn't have to wait very long before Kate stepped out of the shadows.

"Hey Tony!" She exclaimed happily.

"Hi Kate," he replied cautiously, afraid of what this dream-Kate might do.

"Don't be such a worry-wart Tony! I'm your girlfriend! You know I wouldn't hurt you right?" She asked, staring into his eyes. Tony was unsure what to say. Looking into her eyes he realised he couldn't remember where he was, but that didn't matter. Nothing in this world mattered more than Caitlin Todd.

"I know," he said confidently.

"Wrong!" She screamed and her hand grasped his forearm, her nails drawing his blood. "You think I wouldn't hurt you, after what you did to me?" As he watched, her appearance began to resemble that of the one in the dream he had had about her which now seemed a lifetime ago.

"No! It wasn't me! It wasn't me! It was Mr Hound! He tried to rape you! He knocked you unconscious! It wasn't me!" Tony pleaded as Kate led him to a metal table and forced him onto it. As soon as his body was in contact with the table chains wound their way around his wrists and ankles. Kate's laughed seemed high-pitched and out of place as she picked up a large knife and began to sharpen it against a rock.

"It wasn't me he screams," she began in a mocking tone, "who was it that ignored my concerns about Mr Hound? Who was it that slammed a door in my face so hard that I ran straight into the arms of the one person who would hurt me?" she said as she began making cuts on his arms and legs. Tony cried out in pain but Kate just laughed and begun making the cuts deeper.

"And who was it who told me they loved me and then stabbed me in the back?" she asked quietly as she raised the knife above his chest.

"You." The knife came down and Tony's eyes flew open. He was lying in his dormitory, drenched in a cold sweat. That dream had been far worse than he could have imagined. He silently cursed himself for not waking himself up when he could. Instead of trying to go back to sleep, Tony got up quietly and tiptoed out of the room, making his way to the sitting room. He took a seat at the windowsill and rested his head against the cool pane of glass to think about what he had just dreamt.

The more he thought about it, the more he realised was true. It was his fault Kate left. If only he'd listened to her about Mr Hound. No matter how long it took, Tony was determined to find her again and when he did he wanted to apologize about what he had done. But Tony wasn't to know that his chance wouldn't come for many years. It wouldn't come until a phone call in the early hours of the morning woke him up and told him that a Navy Aviator carrying the football on Air Force One had just died in the air and that he had to get there straight away. It wouldn't come until Tony was working for a little thing called NCIS.


	9. Metro PD And An Interview

**A/N- Here he his guys. The long waited appearance of one... Leroy Jethro Gibbs! Appearances also made by Jardine, Abby and Ducky! Enjoy!**

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"DiNozzo!" Came the cry through the open car window.

"Yeah?"

"We got him! 37 Boulevard Road."

"Let's go!" The man jumped in the car and Tony kick started the engine to get the car moving. It had been thirteen years since Tony had last seen Kate, but only thirteen minutes since he had stopped thinking about her. After Kate left Tony had been broken inside. When he finally finished school he had hidden himself away until about five years ago when he decided to come out and be a Baltimore cop working for metro p.d.

Later that night, after they had caught the man they were after, Tony lay in bed and pulled a picture of fifteen year old Kate out from under his pillow. It wasn't healthy, he kept telling himself, to obsess over her, over this picture, but he couldn't bring himself to throw it away. Several times he had held it over an open flame but had snatched it back before the picture could catch on fire. To him the picture was his soul.

Tony had been looking around for a new job. He liked working for Metro P.D, but it seemed to him that he needed something new. A few weeks ago he had found a job that might suit him well and today was his interview. He got up and got ready then quickly walked downstairs to reach his car. On the drive he wondered what Kate was doing now, and what she would be doing if they were still together. This was a common thought that crossed his mind at least five times a day. When he finally arrived at the location of his interview he heaved a deep sigh.

Inside the building Tony began to feel a bit nervous. He wanted this job, why he wasn't sure, but he knew that he wanted it. He sat in a conference room with all the other applicants before an assistant called him into the office. Tony stood up and walked into the room. Sitting behind the desk was a man who wore a black suit and was half bald. Standing behind him was a man with gray hair and a more casual looking outfit, with a gray shirt, brown jacket and black pants. Tony shook hands with both men before taking a seat.

"Well Mr DiNozzo, I've been looking through your resume and I have to admit it is quite impressive," the man sitting down began.

"Thank you sir," Tony replied trying to sound polite. The interview went on for another ten minutes before Tony was asked to wait for a phone call. Tony stood up, shook hands with both men again and then left the room. Back at home he waited anxiously for a phone call, but it didn't come, at least not until the following Friday.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Mr DiNozzo?"

"Yes."

"Hello my name is Jardine and I work for NCIS and it is my pleasure to tell you that you got the job." Tony froze. This was the job he wanted and now they wanted him. "You start work next Monday at 0700. Please be prompt. Any questions?" Tony had about a dozen questions but he decided to only ask one.

"Yes. On whose team will I be on?"

"You will be working for Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Please come in tomorrow so we can issue your badge and photo ID."

"I will. Thank you!"

"Good day." Jardine hung up and Tony put the phone down. He quickly walked to the computer and sent an e-mail to his boss at Metro P.D stating that he was resigning from his job. The rest of the day flew by and Tony was heading to NCIS to collect his badge and photo ID. When he arrived he headed inside and was met by the woman he took to be Jardine. Jardine had dark skin and even darker hair. When he stuck out his hand to shake hers she shook her head.

"I'm sorry, I don't shake hands." Tony pulled his hand away and looked towards the agent that was walking towards him. He realised that it was the same agent from yesterday. "Ah, Agent Gibbs. Agent DiNozzo, this is your boss Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs." Tony shook Gibbs' hand and it felt to him as though Gibbs' eyes were scanning him for weakness. Tony himself studied Gibbs. From the strength of the handshake, and the haircut, Tony assumed that Gibbs was a former marine. He wondered how many people who worked here were former marines. This was the Naval Criminal Investigative Service after all.

"Agent DiNozzo if you could just follow me through here, and we should be able to get your badge and ID no problem, then perhaps you would like a tour?" Jardine interrupted them.

"Yes thank you. Excuse me sir."

"Don't call me sir." As Tony walked away a puzzled look crossed his face. He would be working for Gibbs? By the time Jardine had organised Tony's badge and ID, two hours had passed. As they walked from the room, Tony clutching his new badge and ID Jardine looked at her watch and gasped.

"I'm sorry sir, but I am due in a meeting. Perhaps you could ask Agent Gibbs to show you around?" Jardine walked off without waiting for a reply. Tony decided he was not going to ask Agent Gibbs to show him around. He didn't think that Gibbs was the sort of person who guided tours. Instead, Tony began to walk in the direction of an elevator. When he got inside he looked at the buttons before pressing the basement button. He would find out what was down there sooner or later.

The basement turned out to be the autopsy room. The medical examiner Doctor Donald Mallard was very nice and offered Tony a seat. Tony sat graciously and looked around the room. His eyes zoomed straight to the body that was lying on the operating table.

"Doctor-"

"Please, it's Ducky to my associates."

"Ducky. I'm going to be working for Agent Gibbs and-"

"Agent Gibbs? Well then you'll want to meet Abby won't you?"

"Abby?"

"Our forensic scientist. Her lab is one floor up." Tony looked at the ceiling as if it was suddenly clear that he could see through it. "You'll have to go up to meet her." Tony looked back at Ducky who had a smile on his face.

"Right, thank you." Tony stood up and walked into the elevator. He pushed the button for the floor above and began wondering what Abby would be like. He didn't have to wonder long before the doors opened and Abby's lab came into view. The first thing he noticed was the loud music that was playing. When he knocked on the door and Abby came out from the ballistics lab to see who it was, he had to do a double take.

Abby had black hair that was pulled into piggy-tails, and had a spider-web tattooed on the side of her neck. On the neck itself she was wearing what looked to Tony like a dog collar with spikes. She was wearing a black shirt, black and red plaid, black belt with a large silver buckle as well as long white socks and large black boots that reached her knees.

"Who are you?" She asked. Her voice sounded kind of gravelly to him.

"I'm Tony DiNozzo, I'll be working on Gibbs' team, Ducky said I might want to meet you?" Abby stood back and studied him for a minute before turning to begin typing on her computer.

"Well you've met me now please leave I'm extremely busy." Tony nodded and then walked back into the elevator. By the time he got home he had met a range of different people that he might be working with, but it would be a week before he had to start seeing them on a day to day basis. Until then he decided to lay on his bed and stare at the picture of Kate, willing her to feel his undying love.


End file.
